Sliding handle snap switch



Dec. 20, 1955 w T 2,727,956

SLIDING HANDLE SNAP SWITCH Filed March 2, 1953 IN V EN TOR. PA L 5&-WINTER ATTORNEYS United States Patent SLIDING HANDLE SNAP SWITCH Paul H.Winter, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Pass & Seymour, Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application March 2, 1953, Serial No.339,539

4 Claims. c1. 200-67) This invention relates to switches, and moregenerally to snap switches of the slide button type.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel andimproved slide button snap switch of the oscillating contact type.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide, in a snapswitch of the type described, a spaced stationary contact and a backstop, a movable contact carried by a cantilever spring for operationbetween these two and a helical compression spring arranged between thefree end of the cantilever spring and the sliding button.

An important feature of the invention resides in the manner of arrangingthe housing and the contact carrier and back stop to provide for guidingthe sliding button in its longitudinal path for actuating the switch toclosed or open position.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the arrangement ofan open back housing, a sliding actuating block movable against thefront wall thereof and having a button extending through a slot thereinand combined terminal and stationary contact or back stop supportingplates, each having a portion thereof parallel to and spaced from theinner surface of the front wall to form therewith a guiding channel forthe sliding actuating block.

Other and further objects and features of the invention will be moreapparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of theaccompanying drawing and following specification, wherein is disclosed asingle exemplary embodiment of a tool handle switch constructed inaccordance with the present invention, with the understanding that suchchanges and modifications may be made therein as fall within the scopeof the appended claims without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In said drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a sliding button, oscillating contact,type of double snap switch; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical central section thereof showing theswitch in the closed circuit position.

The switch of the present invention is primarily designed as a toolhandle or similar usage switch and is intended to be mounted with allbut its operating button and top cover or flange housed within a handleor appliance. The switch is operated upon a simple sliding of the buttonfrom one end of its stroke to the other. As shown in the drawings theswitch is encased in a one piece housing rectangular in horizontalsection for entrance through a punched opening in a sheet metal toolhandle or the like. The edges and corners of its closed top 11 arenicely rounded at 12 for appearance and convenience and overhang themain portion 10 by virtue of side and end flanges 13 which rest on theouter surface of the mount. Suitable snap devices forming part of thebottom closure, but not shown in detail, may engage beneath the metal ofthe tool handle and "ice hold the switch in position, but othermountings are available.

Fig. 2 shows the whole interior of the housing to be open to accommodatethe sliding block 15, the terminal plates 16 and 17 and portions oftheir accompanying terminal screws 18 and 19, the cantilever spring 20with its movable contact 21, and the helical operating spring 22.

The sliding operating block 15 is rectangular and has projecting fromits upper center the operating button 24 working through a slot 25 inthe top wall of the housing. The block is sufficiently shorter than theoverall length between the end walls of the housing to provide anappropriate range of sliding equivalent to the space indicated by thereference character 26.

The terminal plates 16 and 17 are of heavy, rigid sheet metal, eachfitted with side flanges, not shown, to be received in channels 27 and28 respectively in the side walls adjacent the end walls of the housing,thus holding the terminal plates in the positions shown with the aid ofthe bottom closure 30 of insulating material fitting nicely within theend of the opening in the housing and being held in position by a metalplate 31 and its bent-over fastening tabs 32, each of which is receivedin a channel in one of the side Walls of the housing and later flared atits end in a known manner to lock the assembly together. A resilientinsulation strip 33 insures adequate tensioning of the parts.

The closure 30 hearing against the ends of the terminal plates pushestheir flanges into the bottoms of the channels 27 and 28 and makes asecure assembly. The terminal plates extend up alongside the end wallsalmost to the under surface of the block 15 and are there bent inwardlytoward each other providing the flat top portions 35 and 36 spaced fromthe under surface of the top wall of the housing a distance justslightly greater than the thickness of the block 15 and forming withthis wall a chamber for guiding the block in its transverse sliding inthe housing.

The terminal plate 16 has its inner end bent downwardly as at 37 fromthe portion 35 and finally bent substantially parallel to its mainportion at 33 to receive and position the stationary contact 39, shownin the form of the head of a rivet. Terminating exactly opposite this isthe inclined end 40 of the terminal plate 17 forming a back stop for thecontact and its supporting cantilever spring 20.

This cantilever spring 20 is of light resilient metal having theupstanding central portion carrying the movable contact 21 and extendingupwardly beyond it a short distance and provided with a narrowed upperend 42. The portion 43 of the spring is bent substantially at rightangles to the active portion and lies along the surface of the closure30. It then passes through a notch in the lower end of terminal plate 17and is bent up at 44 along the outer face of this terminal plate, thechannel 28 being sufliciently wide for this purpose. The screw 19 and/orits head may pass through the portion 44 of the spring and of course thescrew and its companion has threaded engagement with the terminal plate.The screw heads are accommodated in channels 50 having the flared wallsas shown and extending clear to the bottom of the end walls of thehousing to permit easy insertion of the terminal plates with theirassembled screws.

The under surface of the sliding block 15 is provided with a recess asat 51 and near its center is mounted the generally hemispherical springpivot 52 receiving the upper end of the tapered helical spring 22expanded between it and the reduced end 42 of the cantilever spring.

Operation of the switch will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 2.When the button 24 is pushed toward the left, before it has reached theend of its stroke the center of the pivot 52 has passed to the left of avertical through 42 and the cantilever spring is forced to the right,while the helical spring takes over and moves the block 15 to the leftuntil its motion is terminated. The

cantilever spring thus separates the movable from the sistent with goodoperating characteristics and extremely long life.

I claim:

1. In a dual snap switch in combination, a hollow insulating housingincluding a fiat front wall with a slot therethrough, a pair of metalterminal plates, each having an angled guide area thereon, meansseparately mounting said plates in said housing with said areas spacedbelow said wall, an insulating block slidable in the space between saidwall and guide areas and having an operating knob extending through saidslot, a cantilever blade mounted intermediate the said plates and havinga free end, a stationary contact carried by one of said plates and astop by the other'for selective cooperation with the blade, a coilspring compressed between said free end and the under surface of saidblock, an extension on said cantilever blade opposite said free endengaging one of said terminal plates and a closure plate for the rear ofsaid housing, said closure engaging said extension to oppose the thrustof said coil spring.

2. In a switch in combination, a hollow insulating housing including afront wall having a slot therethrough, fiat side and end walls and anopen bottom, an insulating block slidable beneath said front wall andhaving an operator extending through said slot, an insulating closurefor said bottom, a cantilever blade extending from said closure towardsaid block intermediate said end walls, a coil spring compressed betweena fulcrum on said block and the free end of said blade to snap thelatter when the block is slid, spaced stops to limit blade movement byengaging it below said free end, a contact on one of said stops, acooperating contact on the blade and means connecting the bladeelectrically to the other stop.

3. The switch of claim 2 in which said stops incorporate guide means forthe under surface of said block.

4. The switch as defined in claim 3 in which said stops and guide meansextend from terminal plates each substantially adjacent one of said endwalls, each plate being laterally widened beyond the width of the endwalls, said side walls being grooved to receive said widened parts andsaid bottom closure engaging the bottoms of said plates to hold themassembled in said side wall grooves.'

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,761,434 Douglas June 3, 1930 2,171,368 Krieger Aug. 29, 1939 2,269,171Benander Jan. 6, 1942 2,356,521 Kochner Aug. 22, 1944

